WAVERLY, Iowa – Men's soccer defeated North Central College 3-2 at home on Friday, Sept. 19 in a back-and-forth matchup that featured a wild ending with Wartburg's goalkeeper Henry Eckert finding Carson Kay on a free kick that led to an open header to give the Knights the lead with three seconds left in the match.
 
Wartburg is now 2-3-1 overall and North Central moves to 2-1-3 overall.

Match Summary

• First Half
  • It didn't take long for the Knights to get on the scoreboard when Alima Mmunga found Aidan Mott on the run and Mott did the rest to beat the keeper and give Wartburg a 1-0 lead in the third minute
  • Eckert made two saves for the Knights in the following minutes before Flori Gembo fired shots on goal that were saved in the 16^th and 17^th minutes
  • Wartburg added another goal in the 33^rd minute, when Diego Sanchez broke away from the Cardinal defense and netted an unassisted strike to make it 2-0
  • The Knights continued to stay aggressive and took a 2-0 lead into halftime
• Second Half
  • Both Kay and Gembo had shot opportunities blocked by the Cardinal defense early in the second half
  • North Central cut Wartburg's lead in half in the 56^th minute to make it 2-1
  • With 24:22 left in the second half, play was halted due to a lightning delay
  • Following the delay, the Cardinals scored the equalizer in the 80^th minute from a well-placed header
  • Both defenses held strong, not allowing any shots on goal until the final minute of play
  • With the final 10 seconds beginning to tick off the clock, goalkeeper Henry Eckert booted a free kick into the box and on the receiving end was Carson Kay, who finished with a header in with just three seconds left to play to give the Knights a 3-2 lead
    • The Knights closed out the final seconds for a wild 3-2 win

 
Watch the Final Goal Below

Incredible finish at Salzwedel Field 🔥#GoKnights | @WartburgMSoccer https://t.co/qxTnzKlday pic.twitter.com/bXdDShN3U3

— Wartburg Athletics (@WartburgKnights) September 20, 2025

Top Performers

• Carson Kay
  • Game-winning goal
• Aidan Mott
  • Goal
• Diego Sanchez
  • Goal
• Alima Mmunga
  • Assist
• Henry Eckert
  • Assist
  • Four saves

 
Notes/Streaks

• The all-time series is now tied 2-2
  • First win over North Central since 2004
  • First home win over North Central
• Fourth goal of the season for Mott
  • Has scored in back-to-back matches
  • 13^th career goal
  • 32 career points
• Second goal of the season for Kay
  • Sixth career goal
  • 13 career points
• First collegiate assist and point for Eckert
• First collegiate goal for Sanchez
  • Now has four points this season
• First assist of the season for Mmunga
  • Seventh career assist
  • 19 career points

 
Next Time Out
The Knights will be back in action next on Wednesday, Sept. 24 for their Battle for the Warhawk Knight Cup matchup against the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on the road at 7 PM.